Check out The Edison’s September Mixology Series, featuring craft cocktails and a great cause.
The turn-of-the-century Edison Building (complete with skyscraping tower) is the tallest building in Disney Springs and the most attractive attraction in The Landing. Once you walk through the frosted glass doors, you’ll be instantly transported to where punk, underground lounges, and Prohibition swept the country.
Today, The Edison prides itself as one of the most sought-after venues in Disney Springs with great food and even better cocktails. Edison’s chefs and bartenders take their culinary expertise to the next level each month, collaborating to create a monthly mixology series featuring artfully curated dishes and cocktails. This month we were invited to The Edison to try a new twist on this monthly mash-up series!
Edison Mixology Series
Photography by Maria Salerno
Each month, The Edison hosts a series of blends that combine the expertise of skilled chefs and award-winning bartenders. Chefs and bartenders collaborate monthly to create a menu and cocktails that pair in tandem to create unexpected and unique flavor profiles.
Guests can expect a three-course meal accompanied by three handcrafted cocktails. Each month’s menu is different, meaning no two series will ever be the same! When I spoke with one of the bartenders at The Edison, I learned that the chefs work so closely with the bartenders that craft cocktails are often infused into dishes to better enhance the flavor profile while participants eat and drink!
The Monthly Mixology Series is a special ticket event that offers two seating options. To make this event even more special, guests have exclusive access to seating on the sprawling outdoor patio overlooking the stunning waterways of Disney Springs and the surrounding Disney Resorts. Space is limited and reservations are required, so be sure to visit The Edison page on the Walt Disney World website to purchase your ticket in advance!
Mixology benefits the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando
With snacks, live music, a silent auction and themed drinks, September’s Mixology Series at The Edison was a twist on the usual monthly offering. This month, the Mixology Series was a fundraiser for one of my favorite organizations in Central Florida: the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando. They help provide shelter and, ultimately, find foster and permanent homes for thousands of stray and abandoned animals each year. The Edison and Disney teaming up to host an event for this great cause made this month’s event even more special!
Several Disney Springs and Disney Partner restaurants, hotels, and organizations donated some big-ticket items to be bid on in a silent auction during the event. Planet Hollywood, Morimoto Asia, Space 220, Kennedy Space Center, The Edison, JW Marriott, and Drury Hotels are just a few of the dedicated partners who have donated amazing silent auction items to this cause.
Live music from the stage created a great atmosphere in the bustling restaurant. Women in gorgeous dresses and men in timely fedora hats graced the stage and sang in harmony as the action swirled around them. No matter if you visit The Edison for their Mixology Series or just to sit down for dinner on a regular basis, the performers are always a highlight here!
Try some pet-themed cocktails
Edison meow ghetto. Photography by Maria Salerno
Edison’s bartenders once again showed off their amazing skill in creating adorable pet-themed drinks made especially for this month’s event. The Meow-jito — complete with lemon cat ears and rosemary sprig tail — is a rum-based nightcap cocktail. The earthy flavors of rosemary and mint made this drink unique among the rest, as it wasn’t overly sweet so that each ingredient would shine strongly in the flavor profile.
Edison Chihuahua Saltwater. Photography by Maria Salerno
The salty chihuahua was a twist on the classic margarita. Combining blackberry flavors with Florida orange zest, this sweet tequila-based cocktail was a favorite of the evening. How could we not love a drink that has slices of lime serving as your Chihuahua’s ears?
Juice Edison’s Best Buds Zero Proof. Photography by Maria Salerno
Rounding out the specialty drinks was a mocktail twist on a sweet juice. Creamy and coconut-infused, Best Buds Zero Proof pack a surprise in texture and flavor. The creamy texture immediately reminded me of juice, while the sweetened coconut chunks in the drink were a textural contrast to the creaminess that kept me coming back for ever-evolving sip after sip.
Dine on wagtail bites
Instead of the Mixology series’ usual meal, this month’s fundraiser opted for snacks. While items like fresh oysters tossed in house-made marinade, crunchy tacos, and chili-stuffed vegan potato skins were all delicious and fun, the wagyu sandwich station was the highlight of the evening.
Photography by Maria Salerno
The paper-thin, slow-smoking Japanese A5 Wagyu stole the show at The Edison. Just before serving, the beef was hand-grilled to release the fat (and flavour!) before being placed between focaccia bread baked with fresh herbs.
The Wagyu was paired with guests choosing two very specific drink pairing options. A relish of the Whistle Pig 12 Year Rye was poured to accompany the wagyu, with the rye flavors bringing out subtle, richer flavors from the already soft wagyu.
A look at the shots in the Edison Mixology series. Photography by Maria Salerno
My favorite pairing of the evening was the Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon and Wagyu beef. The dry, oaky red wine was clearly meant to be sipped slowly, its almost overwhelming complexity conducive to juicier, more tender bites of fatty beef.
This month’s Mixology series at The Edison reminded us how wonderful it is for restaurant chefs and bartenders to collaborate to create unique, unexpected, almost nostalgic flavor profiles. The atmosphere combined with the food and drinks made for an unforgettable night under the stars at Disney Springs!
For more information on Edison’s Mixology series as well as other offerings, continue reading below:
A closer look at Edison’s shaken and stirred cocktail classes at Disney Springs
We tried Patron Tequila in the Edison Mixology Series — here’s why it’s a big deal